Bulldogs hold sole possession of first place, score 43 runs in their three league games

HEMET 
Mountain Pass League pitchers might catch up to the Hemet High baseball team at some point. But they better hurry.

The Bulldogs’ blazing, early-season run at the plate continued Friday when they pounded out a 9-5 victory over visiting Tahquitz. It was good enough to give Hemet sole possession of first place and gave the Bulldogs 43 runs in three league games.

“I think we’ve had a lot of improvement since pre-league,” second baseman Chad Dotinga said. “We’ve jelled as a team. At-bat after at-bat, we know whoever’s behind us is going to get the job done.”

Dotinga, who has taken over the leadoff spot, has been a classic table-setter. In victories over San Jacinto and Tahquitz the past week, he reached base safely seven times in 10 appearances. He also contributed a two-run single Friday to take the Bulldogs (8-2, 3-0) to an 8-1 lead in the fourth inning.

“He finds a way to set the table,” Bulldogs coach Mike Arnold said. “He knows the zone. He sees a lot of pitches, which is another thing you want from your leadoff hitter.”

Hemet has found different ways to score. Against San Jacinto, patience paid off with nine walks. Against Tahquitz, the Bulldogs came through with situational hitting, getting sacrifice flies from Yeager Taylor and Anthony Necochea, and a pop-fly, run-scoring single over a drawn-in infield from Nathan Bagby.

The Bulldogs can also take a less subtle approach, as evidenced by Garrett Denbaugh’s two-run homer in a three-run third.

“What we stress to them is, don’t give away at-bats,” Arnold said. “We’re doing a good job of staying disciplined but still being aggressive.”

After building the 8-1 lead, the Bulldogs withstood a strong comeback from Tahquitz (4-6, 2-1). Jarrett Veiga closed the gap in a hurry when he blasted a three-run homer to make it 8-4 in the fifth, and the Titans got closer when Dametri Evans’ bad-hop single chased home pinch-runner Nolan Valdez in the sixth.

Hemet starter Chris Woolford was brilliant in the early going, allowing just two hits and striking out eight through four innings. His mishandle of a bunt set up Veiga’s blast, and he was victimized in the sixth by a couple of missed pop fouls and the bad-hop single. He left with 11 strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings, having thrown 117 pitches.

“He wanted it (the complete game), and we wanted to get it for him,” Arnold said. “He was lights out the first four innings.”

Said Tahquitz coach Ron Savage: “We left a few balls up in the zone, and they squared them up. But I told our guys in the dugout that I wanted to win the last three innings, and we did that. I was happy with how we battled back.”

Savage was ejected in the bottom of the sixth after arguing a close ball that was called fair.